The present invention relates to a device for deviating rail-guided transport bodies independent of one another from the guide region of a first rail track to the guide region of a second rail track arranged at an angle relative to the first rail track.
The older Switzerland Patent Application No. 1996 1818/96 discloses a device for feeding printing house products to processing stations. It has a rail system on which carriages independent of one another and equipped with clamps are guided for the purpose of transporting the printing house products. A main conveying section of the rail system is connected via controlled switches to supply sections leading to the processing stations. The supply sections are followed by return sections which open again, via switches, into the main conveying section in order to return the clamps into the latter. In devices of this type with carriages independent of one another which are freely movable along large parts of the rail system, the distance between successive carriages may vary greatly. It is, therefore, possible for successive carriages to come to bear against one another. This may lead to problems, particularly at junctions of the rail system and when two tracks of the rail system converge into one track. In particular, changeover of switch tongues after a carriage has passed through can be ensured only if care is taken to make sure that the next carriage does not follow until after a specific time or distance.
Similar problems arise when two tracks of the rail system converge if the carriages arriving on the two tracks do not occur there with a specific difference in time between them. Devices of this type require considerable outlay in terms of sensor, control, entry/exit and timing arrangements in order to ensure smooth operation.
One object of the present invention is to provide a device for deviating rail-guided transport items independent of one another from the guide region of a first rail track to the guide region of a second rail track arranged at an angle relative to the first rail track, said device ensuring, along with a high processing capacity, the deviation of transport items occurring on the first rail track even when these follow one another at a very short distance or even come to bear against one another.
This object is achieved by means of a device which has the features of claim 1. The solution according to the invention makes it possible to dispense with a radially outer guide for the carrying bodies in the transitional region from the guide region of the first rail track to the guide region of the second rail track. A switch tongue may, therefore, be dispensed with at carriage deviation points in switches, thus eliminating all the problems presented by the changeover of switch tongues. Furthermore, the transport items are actively conveyed in the transitional region and they, therefore, have an exactly defined speed at the deviation point and run into the second rail track at this speed. This affords advantageous preconditions for the downline further processing of the transport items.
The coupling means for coupling the transport items to the conveying element of the deviation apparatus may be arranged on the transport items themselves. Advantageously, however, as specified in claim 3, the coupling means are assigned to the deviation apparatus. This allows the transport items to have an extremely simple embodiment.
A particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention is defined in claim 4. If the deviation apparatus and the coupling means form a clamping arrangement for the transport items, the rail-side guidance of the transport items can be partially or even completely canceled in the transitional region.
A particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention is defined in claim 5. It allows the transport items and coupling means to have an extremely simple design.
An embodiment of the device according to the invention, said embodiment being particularly simple in terms of construction and for the purpose of actuation, is specified in claim 6.
Another particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention is defined in claim 7. A circular-segmental path of movement of the transport items in the transitional region makes it possible for the support element to be designed in the form of a circular disk or a wheel.
Another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, as claimed in claim 8, makes it possible to design the device with a rectilinear portion. If driving members are provided, the transport items assume a defined position relative to one another in the region of the device, thus affording advantages particularly when two tracks converge into one track.
By means of another preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, as claimed in claim 9, transport items independent of one another can be processed at the desired time. As a result, particularly when two tracks converge, collisions of transport items occurring on both tracks can be prevented.
A particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention for supplying transport items occurring on one track to two tracks is defined in claim 10.
A particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention for transferring transport items occurring on two tracks into a single track is specified in claim 11.
In a device designed according to claim 12, a collision of transport items is prevented in an extremely simple way.
An embodiment of the device according to the invention, said embodiment being capable of being produced particularly economically, is defined in claim 13. It requires only a small number of different parts.
A particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention is specified in claim 14. Inside runners can be designed to be particularly small. A guide element ensures that the transport items run optimally into the guide region of the downline rail track.
The particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, as claimed in claim 15, makes it possible to process sheet-like products, in particular printing house products, individually. Products occurring at various sources can be converged for their further processing and products occurring on one track can be divided up for further processing.
Another particularly preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention, as claimed in claim 16, makes it possible to prepare the products according to the requirements of the following processing stations.
The particularly preferred embodiment of the transport items, as claimed in claim 17, makes it possible to have a simple design of timed-entry units and optimum cooperation between these and the transport items.